SAME old, same old for Blues. They don't play badly, they don't play brilliantly; they create chances, they don't take chances - they lose away from home. It's just as well that their form at St Andrew's has picked up because on their travels they are so predictable.

On occasions there are the terrible capitulations like at Manchester City and West Ham United. More often than not, their games are neither here nor there kind of affairs.

Then they sparkle, dominating like they did at Charlton Athletic, or, to a lesser degree, on Saturday at the Riverside. But they still end up losing.

Blues have taken just one point out of the last available 21 away from home. They have scored just seven times in 14 away outings in the league (including five of the last six games), which is their single biggest problem.

And when you consider they can't keep the goals out - one clean sheet in 13 away Premiership trips - you begin to get the picture.

Mark Viduka showed them what they are missing, sublimely scoring the only goal barely 20 seconds before the half-time interval. Viduka is an untypical Australian - bulky, immobile, unathletic - but he knows how to finish.

Receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area with his back to goal, he suckered Alex Bruce, invited both Taylors Martin and Maik to go to ground by dribbling on and delayed his shot until the optimum moment. That's four goals against Blues in his last three games for two different teams.

Viduka didn't do much else, but he didn't have to. Contrast with Emile Heskey's horror miss in the 24th minute, when Blues were in control of the game.

Heskey had sneaked in between the centre-halves and was seven yards out, but he misjudged the flight of Mario Melchiot's cross and, instead of powering into the ball, it kind of bounced off his head and went wide as he crouched down.

These are the kind of moments that decide games that are tight, especially between clubs scrambling for points at the bottom of the table.

Blues' second-half response was decent, but all they had to show for their possession and endeavour was David Dunn's 49th-minute back-post header that was well kept out by Mark Schwarzer.

Boro, with what seemed like an army of centre-halves and full-backs on the pitch, repelled the stream of crosses that were sent into the penalty area and blocked, tackled and competed furiously deep in their own territory.

And when the ball did drop on the fringes, it came to players not renowned for their scoring ability: Damien Johnson (twice), Bruce and Nicky Butt all fired high or wide, to varying degrees, with a bobbly pitch not helping.

Part of the problem for Blues is that they do not have the penetration, guile or movement to open up defences straight down the centre of the park.

Too often the ball ends up being knocked square and funnelled wide to Jermaine Pennant, who is expected to do his stuff. Or it is just not moved quickly enough forward. And when teams amass behind the ball, as Boro did to protect their lead (they showed no real ambition to build on it), Blues are stuck.

DJ Campbell and Mikael Forssell were sent on, and Jiri Jarosik. Both the strikers were smothered out of it by the blanket of red shirts and balls were not, and could not, be threaded through, or into their feet, where they prefer it. Perhaps Steve Bruce should be bolder and use either Jarosik or Dunn in central midfield in future away games.

The requirement to be solid and rely on the Butts and Johnsons in there is understandable. And they could not be faulted, they did what they do well.

But something different has to be tried because Blues - as the statistics show - simply don't score enough away from home, and don't look like they will either.

That is why Jason Euell, an attacking, goalscoring midfielder, was a target in the last two transfer windows yet, head-shakingly, not signed.

Boro, despite their recent spurt of good results, were there for the taking. It wasn't that Blues didn't try, it was just that their familiar failings unhinged them.

Boro are 11 points clear of danger now, they can breathe easily. For Blues, it's back to St Andrew's for the mother of all 'must-win' games against Albion at high noon on Saturday and then still more problematic away trips to come.